Chapter Text
“See, ‘m telling ya. Humans are nothing but trouble. They’re stupid, smelly, annoying, an’ they take up way too much time! Oh, and they’re needy too! Super needy. There’s really no reason to stick around ‘em at all. It’s just way too much of a pain. Now bring me more sake!”
Madara flung his empty bottle at the tiny youkai in front of him and hiccupped. It was his third one already and he was longing for a nice manjuu to compliment the taste, though he doubted one of these pitiful little youkai could get any for him. Even the sake they’d managed to get was mediocre at best.
“Stuuupid humans. I only stayed ‘round so long in case I could get the Book—somethin’ interesting out of it. A big old waste of time that was! I ‘ad to sleep in the rain like some stray! I ‘ad to keep cheering up the stupid kid, all the dang time! It was always gettin’ worked up over something. Humans are all so emotional. I don’t know how they deal wit each other, ya know?”
The youkai had already scurried away, Madara realized, but he didn’t care. At least the little weaklings around here knew to respect someone with his power. It probably helped that he’d gobbled up the one from before. But he had already decided that after he had finished ranting about all the trials he had suffered though, he would never think about that miserable experience again.
Madara lounged back on the leaf bed he had threatened the little youkai into making for him. It was not particularly comfortable. Stupid leaves. Stupid humans. They could at least give him some sort of soft, comfy bed if he was going to waste all his valuable time on their silly antics.
“That’s all their good for! Beds and food. I should just enslave ‘em all and get ‘em to make me beds and food all day long! That’d show them to be so—so annoying!”
The youkai was still missing. It better not have run off on him.
“Stupid youkai too! I could get sake faster than you losers! I’d do it myself if it wasn’t such a pain!”
Everything and everyone was stupid, Madara decided. Except for sake and manjuu. Those were the only non-stupid things in the whole stupid world.
He hiccupped again. A couple more drinks and he would probably be able to forget this whole experience and maybe even belt out a song or two. And if the youkai didn’t applaud this time he’d definitely eat them all up.
The little youkai returned, staggering under the weight of the sake bottle. Another one of the mediocre stuff. Madara groaned in annoyance.
“H-here you go, Madara-sama,” it said. It’s stupid nervous voice reminded him of the stupid nervous brat so he chucked an acorn at the creature and sent it scurrying away. He only realized afterward that it had been the last of the youkai catering to him. He must have scared the others off at some point too, though he didn’t really remember when.
“Oh well, it’s fine by me!” Madara declared, opening the sake bottle clumsily with his paws and guzzling it down. “It’s better being by myself anyway. All these stupid…stupid…”
Madara flopped down on the leaf bed and promptly dozed off into a drunken sleep.
He slept through the entire day and spent most of the next nursing a hangover. Why should a youkai as powerful as him have to deal with hangovers anyway? Madara cursed the annoying world and whatever alcohol god had decided hangovers were a good idea in the first place. He should find that god and eat it, though he didn’t really feel like being cursed.
He moaned, rolling around on the forest floor. He could see a few birds, standing upside down and pecking at the sky. Actually, he was the one upside down, he realized. He swung a paw at the creatures and sent them flying away. He waved his paw in the air for a bit before relenting.
“What a pain.”
When Madara finally felt well enough to move about again, he took the time to explore the forest he had somehow found his way into, terrorizing any youkai that had the misfortune to step into his path. Though he was still a bit too queasy to consider making them a snack.
Madara wandered aimlessly, or at least he thought he did. He stopped short when he arrived at the edge of the forest. Beyond was the small town that he had left behind, along with Natsu—with the stupid child. He had certainly not returned here by choice, he had just happened to encounter it. Well, whatever, he was a bit tired of the forest anyway and he would like to find some better sake than what the weaklings could produce.
So Madara reentered the town with some trepidation. Well, it was unlikely he would encounter that child again. It was probably off doing whatever human things it did. Or maybe it had been eaten by a youkai. Madara’s only regret would be that he didn’t get to eat the kid himself. Yep, that was his only regret.
With confidence in his detachment from the stupid human, Madara walked along the streets with his head held high. Hopefully, there would be a human somewhere he could rob of some delicious food. He found himself a ramen shop and pressed his face against the outside, hoping his lovely face would cause one of the humans inside to take pity on him and bring him some delicious ramen.
Unfortunately, they were all too busy. Madara was considering taking matters into his own paws and breaking through the glass door when he heard the sound of a familiar voice.
“Nyanko!”
Madara flattered his ears back and hissed. Stupid kid, what did it want? He darted into an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster. He could hear the child calling out for him. It didn’t seem to have spotted him, thankfully. Instead, it seemed to be wandering about calling for him. Whatever, it could do what it wanted. Madara set off in the opposite direction of the voice. He was not getting wrapped up in this again, not a chance.
By the time he reached the other side of the town, it was getting late. Shops were beginning to close for the night—he had forgotten that human businesses seemed to shut down earlier out in the countryside. Madara reached a nice smelling sake shop just as the owner was pulling a shade down in front of the store. He rolled around on the ground and moaned in distress, but unfortunately the human did not pay him any mind. Just another reason to add to why he hated humans.
“Nyanko? Where are you?”
The voice was closer this time and Madara jumped back to his feet. Why was this kid so persistent? Just a couple days ago it had insisted that it hated him, so what did it want now?
He ducked into another backstreet and listened. Really, he should run off somewhere else to make sure he wasn’t discovered, but that sounded like a lot of effort for some little brat. Instead, he peered out at the street.
He caught sight of the child as he stopped, hands on his knees and out of breath. “Nyanko!” He gasped, looking about. “I’m sorry! Please come out!”
No way, Madara thought in irritation. He prepared to get as far away from Natsume as possible, but as soon as he turned away, he tripped over an empty sake bottle and stumbled.
The sound was enough to alert Natsume, who turned and locked eyes with Madara. Drat! Madara took off, hearing the sound of the kid running behind him. Just give up already!
There weren’t very many humans out anymore, and certainly none out here in the backstreets. Natsume should just go home if it didn’t want to be eaten. Madara wasn’t going to save him again. Maybe he should just turn around and eat the kid now. That might be a good idea.
The sound of Natsume’s running fell further and further behind. Madara’s form may not be ideal for running, but the kid didn’t seem to have very much stamina. He slowed to a walk, panting a bit. Running away from humans was not his ideal pastime. He never should have gotten mixed up in all this to begin with.
Though why exactly was Natsume searching so desperately for him anyway. He had made his hatred for Madara perfectly clear. Humans were so two-faced, with their complicated emotions. It would be easier for them if they only cared about themselves the way Madara did. He shook his head in exasperation.
From somewhere behind him, the sound of Natsume screaming caught his ears. He froze, looking back quickly, but the child was too far back for him to see.
He should just leave. If the kid had run into some youkai, it could handle them itself. Madara wasn’t interested. He would do what he had said he would and leave.
He took a couple steps away and looked back over his shoulder just once, quickly. Nope. No way. He was leaving now.
He heard the sound of a struggle somewhere behind him. “I’m leaving now,” he confirmed to the air around him.
He took a few more steps away and paused. He needed to leave. Now.
But as much as he wanted to, it seemed Madara’s feet wouldn’t move. He cursed loudly, wheeled around and ran back in the direction of the sound.
Just as he had suspected, another youkai had gone after Natsume. It seemed the kid could never catch a break. A tiny weakling, nothing but a massive head with pointed teeth, was clamped onto Natsume’s arm as he frantically shook at it. Ugh, this thing probably couldn’t kill the kid. He never should have come back. In fact, he should probably take the opportunity to eat the kid now.
Instead, he leapt up in the air at the youkai, which screeched when it saw him and let go.
“Sorry, you can have him!” It cried out, flying off around a corner.
Natsume slid to the ground, rubbing at his arm. There were a few spots of blood soaking through his sleeve, but not enough to be concerning, Madara decided. The kid locked eyes with him and Madara considered running off again. But if he did that then Natsume would probably follow and get himself hurt again.
Natsume smiled at him. “Nyanko, you came.”
Madara huffed. “Why are you so excited? I thought you hated me, remember?”
When Natsume’s face fell, Madara wondered if he had been put off by his tone. But the kid didn’t seem to be mad at him. If anything, he seemed mad at himself.
“I’m sorry about what I said to you. I—I didn’t really mean it, it’s just…” he stumbled over his words, looking down at the ground in regret.
Madara sighed, striding over to him. “Whatever, I don’t care. You humans can say whatever strange things you want. Doesn’t bother me.”
Natsume smiled, face still soft and sad. He reached out a hand to Madara and rubbed at his head.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to…but would you like to stay with me? Just for a little while?”
Madara shrugged. “Eh, I supposed. You still need to pay me back for the bean bun I gave you.”
Natsume laughed, picking up Madara and setting him on his shoulder. Madara considered protesting, but decided that a free ride was a free ride. Plus, the kid seemed happy.
“Let’s go, Nyanko.”
“Sensei.”
“Huh?” Natsume turned to look at him in confusion.
“Call me Sensei. Nyanko-Sensei is fine too, I guess. But I deserve respect!”
Natsume smiled, climbing to his feet and turning back in the general direction of his house.
“Let’s go, Sensei.”